System for sharing human perceptual signals between electronic devices

ABSTRACT

The consumer electronics device ( 1 ) for making content available consists of an output means ( 3,5,7 ), a control unit ( 23 ), and a transmitter ( 21 ). The control unit ( 23 ) is able to create a representation of a human perceptual signal being generated by the output means ( 3,5,7 ) and instruct the transmitter ( 21 ) to broadcast the representation. The electronics device ( 1 ) for accessing new content consists of an output means ( 3,5,7 ), a receiver ( 25 ), and a control unit ( 23 ). The control unit ( 23 ) uses the receiver ( 25 ) to receive representations of multiple further human perceptual signals and instructs the output means ( 3,5,7 ) to generate a human perceptual signal from these multiple representations. The method of making content available consists of creating ( 41 ) a representation ( 51 ) of a human perceptual signal ( 49 ) generated by a consumer electronic device and broadcasting ( 43 ) the representation ( 51 ). The method of accessing new content consists of receiving ( 45 ) representations ( 51,57,58 ) of multiple further human perceptual signals ( 49 ) and generating ( 47 ) a human perceptual signal ( 59 ) from these multiple representations ( 51,57,58 ). The system consists of at least two components ( 61,63 ) executing the method of making content available and at least one component ( 65 ) executing the method of accessing new content. The computer program product enables a programmable device to perform the method of accessing new content.

The invention relates to a system for sharing human perceptual signals.

The invention further relates to electronic devices for use in a systemfor sharing human perceptual signals.

The invention further relates to methods of enabling a system forsharing human perceptual signals.

The invention further relates to a computer program product for use in asystem for sharing human perceptual signals.

It is known from peer-to-peer software such as Kazaa, Napster, Morpheus,and Gnutella to share selected digital content. A user of a firstelectronic device is able to retrieve a digital content item from asecond electronic device and reproduce it on his or her first electronicdevice. It is known from portable audio devices, e.g. a Walkman, toreproduce analog and/or digital audio.

Most users want to access new content, but are unable to find newcontent without knowing a title or an artist of the content. Sometimes,content category information is available, but content categories of theknown peer-to-peer software are not specific enough. Searching for acontent category confronts a user with a large amount of new contentitems of which only few are of interest to the user. On the other hand,users often see other users listening to portable audio devices with aheadphone and wonder what the other users are listening to, especiallyif the limited sound that escapes the head phone appeals to the users.There is a need for a system where the other users make their contentavailable and the users are able to access new interesting content veryeasily.

It is a first object of the invention to provide a consumer electronicdevice for making content available, which enables finding interestingnew content if a title or an artist of the content is not known.

It is a second object of the invention to provide an electronic devicefor accessing new content, which enables finding interesting new contentif a title or an artist of the content is not known.

The first object is according to the invention realized in that theconsumer electronic device for making content available comprises: anoutput means able to generate a human perceptual signal; a transmitterable to transmit a human non-perceptual signal; a control unit able tocontrol the output means able to create a representation of the humanperceptual signal, and able to instruct the transmitter to broadcast ahuman non-perceptual signal comprising the representation. A user of theconsumer electronic device is able to share the audio and/or videocontent he or she is currently listening to and/or watching with otherusers. Since content will most likely be broadcasted only to other usersin the vicinity of the user, the other users will not be confronted witha large amount of new content items. If other users notice the userlistening to and/or watching interesting content, they may be able toinstruct their consumer electronic device to listen to and/or watch thecontent themselves. Other users may be able to go to a location where auser may be found that shares their interest in a certain type oflifestyle and/or content. Creating a representation of the humanperceptual signal may comprise compressing the content with a possibleloss of quality. Creating a representation of the human perceptualsignal may also comprise extracting a fragment from the content.Broadcasting a human non-perceptual signal may involve using Bluetooth,ZigBee, or ad-hoc wireless LAN (e.g. 802.11) technology.

In an embodiment of the consumer electronic device, the output meanscomprises at least one of a speaker and a headphone.

The output means may comprise a display.

The control unit may be able to instruct the transmitter to transmit ahuman non-perceptual signal comprising an identifier identifying thehuman perceptual signal. The identifier may comprise a title and/or anartist (e.g. singer or director) of the content. The identifier may beunique enabling a receiver of the content to retrieve extra informationregarding the content.

The consumer electronic device may further comprise a receiver able toreceive a further human non-perceptual signal, the control unit may beable to use the receiver to detect a free time-slot in a transmissionmedium, and the control unit may be able to instruct the transmitter totransmit the human non-perceptual signal in the free time-slot. Bydetecting a free time-slot, it is not necessary to have a central entityassigning time-slots.

The control unit may be able to use the receiver to receive a controlsignal and the control unit may be able to schedule own transmissions inaccordance with the control signal. By having a controlled schedule oftransmissions, collisions of transmitted packets and/or overhead neededto prevent collisions can be prevented.

The control unit may be able to use the receiver to detect a level ofoccupation of a transmission medium and the control unit may be able toinstruct the transmitter to adapt its transmission power in dependencyof the level of occupation. If a large number of transmitting devicesare already active in a relatively small area, it might be impossiblefor other devices to start broadcasting in this area. Decreasing thetransmission power of one device might then limit the interferencebetween devices and allow another device to start broadcasting.

The control unit may be able to instruct the transmitter to transmit ahuman non-perceptual signal comprising transmission power of thetransmitter. By setting the transmission power of a first device belowthe transmission power of a second device from which a weak signal isreceived, a third device closer to the second device might be able tostart broadcasting without interference from the first device.

The second object is according to the invention realized in that theelectronic device for accessing new content comprises: an output meansfor generating a human perceptual signal; a receiver able to receive ahuman non-perceptual signal; and a control unit able to use the receiverto receive multiple human non-perceptual signals comprisingrepresentations of multiple further human perceptual signals and able toinstruct the output means to generate the human perceptual signal fromthe representations. By instructing the output means to generate thehuman perceptual signal from representations of multiple further humanperceptual signals, a user of the device is able to listen to and/orwatch multiple content items simultaneously.

In an embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, the electronicdevice further comprises an input means for enabling a user to select atleast one of the representations and the control unit is able toinstruct the output means to generate the human perceptual signal fromthe at least one of the representations. When the user hears or sees aninteresting content item, he or she is able to focus on the content itemby selecting one of the at least one representations.

The electronic device may further comprise a communication means forestablishing communication between users and the control unit may beable to use the communication means to establish communication between auser of the electronic device and a user of a similar electronic devicehaving transmitted a human non-perceptual signal comprising the at leastone representation. When the user has focussed on the content item, hemay be able to communicate with the user from whom the content itemoriginates.

The control unit may be able to instruct the output means to make afurther human perceptual signal more noticeable in the human perceptualsignal if it is generated on a nearby further electronic device and lessnoticeable if it is generated on a remote further electronic device.When the user hears an interesting content item, he may be able to focuson the content item by walking towards the electronic devicetransmitting the content item. The volume of an acoustic signal may behigher if it is generated on a nearby further electronic device andlower if it is generated on a remote further electronic device. Visualsignals may be shown simultaneously in different windows. The windowsize may be larger if a visual signal is generated on a nearby furtherelectronic device and smaller if it is generated on a remote furtherelectronic device

The control unit may be able to use the receiver to receive multiplehuman non-perceptual signals comprising representations of acousticsignals.

The control unit may be able to use the receiver to receive multiplehuman non-perceptual signals comprising representations of visualsignals. The control unit may also be able to use the receiver toreceive multiple human non-perceptual signals comprising representationsof both acoustic and visual signals, including those signals produced bycomputer games.

The control unit may be able to use the receiver to receive a humannon-perceptual signal comprising an identifier identifying a furtherhuman perceptual signal and may be able to instruct a display to displaythe identifier. The identifier may comprise a title and/or an artist(e.g. singer or director) of the content.

The control unit may be able to use a storage means to store at leastone of: an identifier identifying a further human perceptual signal andat least a part of the representation of the further human perceptualsignal. When the user hears or sees an interesting content item, he orshe may be able to store an identifier enabling him or her to find thecontent item at a later time. The user may also be able to store atleast part of the representation of the further human perceptual signalin order to listen to the content item at a later time.

The receiver may be able to receive a human non-perceptual signalcomprising a geographical position of a further electronic devicetransmitting a human non-perceptual signal comprising a representationof a further human perceptual signal. If the user wants to focus on acontent item by walking towards the electronic device transmitting thecontent item, the geographical position of the transmitting electronicdevice makes finding the electronic device easier. The control unit maybe able to use a current position of the receiving electronic device andthe geographical position of the transmitting electronic device tocalculate a direction towards the transmitting electronic device. Thecontrol unit may be able to display the direction on the display. Thecurrent position of the receiving device may for example be provided bya GPS receiver, possibly comprised in the receiving electronic device.Additionally, the control unit may be able to use the geographicalposition of a transmitting electronic device to show a location whereinteresting content has been found on a map using the display.

The control unit may be able to use the receiver to receive a humannon-perceptual signal comprising an identifier identifying a furtherhuman perceptual signal. The electronic device may further comprise aninput means for enabling a user to request additional information. Theelectronic device may further comprise a transmitter able to transmit ahuman non-perceptual signal. The control unit may be able to instructthe transmitter to transmit a human non-perceptual signal comprising arequest for information and the identifier. The control unit may be ableto use the receiver to receive a human non-perceptual signal comprisingadditional information. The extra information may comprise a list ofother content items that the user of the electronic device transmittingthe further human perceptual signal has listened to and/or watchedand/or will listen to and/or watch. The extra information may alsoenable the user to buy a better representation of the humannon-perceptual signal.

These and other aspects of the electronic devices, the methods, and thesystem of the invention will be further elucidated and described withreference to the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a favorable embodiment of the electronicdevices of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the methods of theinvention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the system of theinvention;

Corresponding elements within the drawings are identified by the samereference numeral.

Consumer electronic device 1, see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, is a favorableembodiment of both the consumer electronic device for making contentavailable and the electronic device for accessing new content. Theconsumer electronic device 1 unifies the components and functionality ofboth electronic devices. Alternatively, the consumer electronic devicefor making content available could be a different device than theelectronic device for accessing new content. The consumer electronicdevice 1 comprises a display 3, a speaker 5, and a headphone 7 able togenerate a human perceptual signal. The consumer electronic device 1also comprises a transmitter 21 able to transmit a human non-perceptualsignal and a control unit 23 able to control the display 3, the speaker5, and the headphone 7. The control unit 23 is further able to create arepresentation of the human perceptual signal and to instruct thetransmitter 21 to broadcast a human non-perceptual signal comprising therepresentation. The consumer electronic device 1 may for example be acar radio, a portable audio and/or video player, a mobile phone, or ahandheld game console. The control unit 23 may be a microprocessor. Thedisplay 3 may for example be a LCD or LED display. A humannon-perceptual signal may for example be an electromagnetic signal. Ahuman perceptual signal may for example be an acoustic or a visualsignal.

The control unit 23 may be able to instruct the transmitter 21 totransmit a human non-perceptual signal comprising an identifieridentifying the human perceptual signal.

The consumer electronic device 1 further comprises a receiver 25 able toreceive a further human non-perceptual signal. The control unit 23 maybe able to use the receiver 25 to detect a free time-slot in atransmission medium, and the control unit 23 may be able to instruct thetransmitter 21 to transmit the human non-perceptual signal 53 in thefree time-slot. The transmitter 21 and the receiver 25 will most likelyrespectively transmit and receive wireless signals and may for exampleuse Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, or ZigBee technology. The transmissionmedium may for example be a part of the 2.4 GHz band in the microwavespectrum. Alternatively, the transmission medium could be a copper orfiber-optic cable.

The control unit 23 may be able to use the receiver 25 to receive acontrol signal, and the control unit 23 may be able to schedule owntransmissions in accordance with the control signal.

The control unit 23 may be able to use the receiver 25 to detect a levelof occupation of a transmission medium, and the control unit 23 may beable to instruct the transmitter 21 to adapt its transmission power independency of the level of occupation.

The control unit 23 may be able to instruct the transmitter 21 totransmit a human non-perceptual signal comprising transmission power ofthe transmitter 21.

The control unit may be able to use the receiver 25 to receive multiplehuman non-perceptual signals comprising representations of multiplefurther human perceptual signals and able to instruct the display 3, thespeaker 5, and/or the headphone 7 to generate the human perceptualsignal from the representations

The consumer electronic device 1 further comprises a cursor pad 9 forenabling a user to select at least one of the representations and thecontrol unit is able to instruct the output means to generate the humanperceptual signal from the at least one of the representations.Alternatively and/or additionally, other types of input means may becomprised in the electronic device 1, for example a touch-screen or atouch-pad. Another input means could be used to select the at least oneof the representations.

The consumer electronic device 1 further comprises a communication means29 for establishing communication between users and the control unit 23is able to use the communication means 29 to establish communicationbetween a user of the consumer electronic device 1 and a user of asimilar consumer electronic device 1 having transmitted a humannon-perceptual signal comprising the at least one representation. Thecommunication means 29 may for example comprise components used in acell phone. Communication means 29 may be part of at least one of theother components in the consumer electronic device 1. Communicationsmeans 29 could for example be realized by using transmitter 21, receiver25, control unit 23 and/or a microphone 13.

The control unit 23 is able to instruct the display 3, the speaker 5,and/or the headphone 7 to make a further human perceptual signal morenoticeable in the human perceptual signal if it is generated on a nearbyfurther electronic device and less noticeable if it is generated on aremote further electronic device.

The control unit 23 is able to use the receiver 25 to receive multiplehuman non-perceptual signals comprising representations of acousticsignals.

The control unit 23 is able to use the receiver 25 to receive multiplehuman non-perceptual signals comprising representations of visualsignals.

The control unit 23 is able to use the receiver 25 to receive a humannon-perceptual signal comprising an identifier identifying a furtherhuman perceptual signal and to instruct the display 3 to display theidentifier.

The control unit 23 is able to use a storage means 27 to store at leastone of: an identifier identifying a further human perceptual signal andat least a part of the representation of the further human perceptualsignal. The storage means 27 may be comprised in the electronic device 1as shown in FIG. 1 or may be comprised in an external device. Thestorage means 27 may for example be an optical disc, flash memory,magnetic memory, or a magnetic disc.

The receiver 25 is able to receive a human non-perceptual signalcomprising a geographical position of a further electronic devicetransmitting a human non-perceptual signal comprising a representationof a further human perceptual signal. The geographical position maycomprise longitude and latitude.

The control unit 23 is able to use the receiver 25 to receive a humannon-perceptual signal comprising an identifier identifying a furtherhuman perceptual signal. The consumer electronic device 1 furthercomprises a button 11 for enabling a user to request additionalinformation and a transmitter 21 able to transmit a human non-perceptualsignal. The control unit 23 is able to instruct the transmitter 21 totransmit a human non-perceptual signal comprising a request forinformation and the identifier and to use the receiver to receive ahuman non-perceptual signal comprising additional information.Alternatively, another input means could be used for enabling a user torequest additional information instead of button 11. Another input meanscould for example be the cursor pad 9, a touch-screen, or a touch-pad.

The method of making content available, see FIG. 3, comprises step 41creating a representation 51 of a human perceptual signal 49 generatedby a consumer electronic device and step 43 broadcasting therepresentation 51. The representation 51 may be broadcasted as humannon-perceptual signal 53.

The method of accessing new content comprises step 45 receivingrepresentations 57, 58, and optionally 51 of multiple further humanperceptual signals and step 47 generating a human perceptual 59 signalfrom the received representations. The representations 51, 57, and 58may be received comprised in respectively human non-perceptual signals53, 55, and 56.

The system for sharing human perceptual signals, see FIG. 4, comprises acomponent 61 able to create and broadcast a first representation of afirst human perceptual signal. The system also comprises a component 63able to create and broadcast a second representation of a second humanperceptual signal. The system further comprises a component 65 able toreceive the first and the second representation and able to generate athird human perceptual signal from the first and the secondrepresentation. Each of the components may be a consumer electronicdevice 1 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

While the invention has been described in connection with favorableembodiments, it will be understood that modifications thereof within theprinciples outlined above will be evident to those skilled in the art,and thus the invention is not limited to the favorable embodiments butis intended to encompass such modifications. The invention resides ineach and every novel characteristic feature and each and everycombination of characteristic features. Reference numerals in the claimsdo not limit their protective scope. Use of the verb “to comprise” andits conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements other thanthose stated in the claims. Use of the article “a” or “an” preceding anelement does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

‘Means’, as will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, are meantto include any hardware (such as separate or integrated circuits orelectronic elements) or software (such as programs or parts of programs)which perform in operation or are designed to perform a specifiedfunction, be it solely or in conjunction with other functions, be it inisolation or in co-operation with other elements. The invention can beimplemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements,and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the apparatus claimenumerating several means, several of these means can be embodied by oneand the same item of hardware. ‘Computer program product’ is to beunderstood to mean any software product stored on a computer-readablemedium, such as a floppy disk, downloadable via a network, such as theInternet, or marketable in any other manner.

1. A consumer electronic device (1), comprising: an output means (3,5,7)able to generate a human perceptual signal (49); a transmitter (21) ableto transmit a human non-perceptual signal (53); and a control unit (23)able to control the output means (3,5,7), able to create arepresentation (51) of the human perceptual signal (49), and able toinstruct the transmitter (21) to broadcast a human non-perceptual signal(53) comprising the representation (51).
 2. A consumer electronic device(1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the output means(3,5,7) comprises at least one of a speaker (5) and a headphone (7). 3.A consumer electronic device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized inthat the output means (3,5,7) comprises a display (3).
 4. A consumerelectronic device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that thecontrol unit (23) is able to instruct the transmitter (21) to transmit ahuman non-perceptual signal comprising an identifier identifying thehuman perceptual signal (49).
 5. A consumer electronic device (1) asclaimed in claim 1, characterized in that further comprised is areceiver (25) able to receive a further human non-perceptual signal, thecontrol unit (23) is able to use the receiver (25) to detect a freetime-slot in a transmission medium, and the control unit (23) is able toinstruct the transmitter (21) to transmit the human non-perceptualsignal (53) in the free time-slot.
 6. A consumer electronic device (1)as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that further comprised is areceiver (25) able to receive a further human non-perceptual signal, thecontrol unit (23) is able to use the receiver (25) to receive a controlsignal, and the control unit (23) is able to schedule own transmissionsin accordance with the control signal.
 7. A consumer electronic device(1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that further comprised is areceiver (25) able to receive a further human non-perceptual signal, thecontrol unit (23) is able to use the receiver (25) to detect a level ofoccupation of a transmission medium, and the control unit (23) is ableto instruct the transmitter (21) to adapt its transmission power independency of the level of occupation.
 8. A consumer electronic device(1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (23)is able to instruct the transmitter (21) to transmit a humannon-perceptual signal comprising transmission power of the transmitter(21).
 9. An electronic device (1), comprising: an output means (3,5,7)for generating a human perceptual signal (59); a receiver (25) able toreceive a human non-perceptual signal (53,55,56); and a control unit(23) able to use the receiver (25) to receive multiple humannon-perceptual signals (53,55,56) comprising representations (51,57,58)of multiple further human perceptual signals (49) and able to instructthe output means (3,5,7) to generate the human perceptual signal (59)from the representations (51,57,58).
 10. An electronic device (1) asclaimed in claim 9, characterized in that further comprised is an inputmeans (9,11) for enabling a user to select at least one of therepresentations (51,57,58) and the control unit (23) is able to instructthe output means (3,5,7) to generate the human perceptual signal (59)from the at least one of the representations (51,57,58).
 11. Anelectronic device (1) as claimed in claim 10, characterized in thatfurther comprised is a communication means (29) for establishingcommunication between users and the control unit (23) is able to use thecommunication means (29) to establish communication between a user ofthe electronic device (1) and a user of a similar electronic device (1)having transmitted a human non-perceptual signal (53,55,56) comprisingthe at least one representation (51,57,58).
 12. An electronic device (1)as claimed in claim 9, characterized that the control unit (23) is ableto instruct the output means (3,5,7) to make a further human perceptualsignal (49) more noticeable in the human perceptual signal (59) if it isgenerated on a nearby further electronic device (1) and less noticeableif it is generated on a remote further electronic device (1).
 13. Anelectronic device (1) as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that thecontrol unit (23) is able to use the receiver (25) to receive multiplehuman non-perceptual signals (53,55,56) comprising representations(51,57,58) of acoustic signals.
 14. An electronic device (1) as claimedin claim 9, characterized in that the control unit (23) is able to usethe receiver (25) to receive multiple human non-perceptual signals(53,55,56) comprising representations (51,57,58) of visual signals. 15.An electronic device (1) as claimed in claim 9, characterized in thatthe control unit (23) is able to use the receiver (25) to receive ahuman non-perceptual signal comprising an identifier identifying afurther human perceptual signal (49) and able to instruct a display (3)to display the identifier.
 16. An electronic device (1) as claimed inclaim 9, characterized in that the control unit (23) is able to use astorage means (27) to store at least one of: an identifier identifying afurther human perceptual signal and at least a part of therepresentation (51,57,58) of the further human perceptual signal (49).17. An electronic device (1) as claimed in claim 9, characterized inthat the receiver (25) is able to receive a human non-perceptual signalcomprising a geographical position of a further electronic device (1)transmitting a human non-perceptual signal (53,55,56) comprising arepresentation of a further human perceptual signal (49).
 18. Anelectronic device (1) as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that: thecontrol unit (23) is able to use the receiver (25) to receive a humannon-perceptual signal comprising an identifier identifying a furtherhuman perceptual signal (49); further comprised is an input means (9,11)for enabling a user to request additional information; further comprisedis a transmitter (21) able to transmit a human non-perceptual signal;the control unit (23) is able to instruct the transmitter (21) totransmit a human non-perceptual signal comprising a request forinformation and the identifier; and the control unit (23) is able to usethe receiver to receive a human non-perceptual signal comprisingadditional information.
 19. A method of making content available,comprising the steps of: creating (41) a representation (51) of a humanperceptual signal (49) generated by a consumer electronic device (1);and broadcasting (43) the representation (51).
 20. A method of accessingnew content, comprising the steps of: receiving (45) representations(51,57,58) of multiple further human perceptual signals (49); andgenerating (47) a human perceptual (59) signal from the representations(51,57,58).
 21. A system for sharing human perceptual signals (49),comprising: a component (61) able to create and broadcast a firstrepresentation (51,57,58) of a first human perceptual signal (49); acomponent (63) able to create and broadcast a second representation(51,57,58) of a second human perceptual signal (49); and a component(65) able to receive the first and the second representation (51, 57,58) and able to generate a third human perceptual signal (59) from thefirst and the second representation (51,57,58).
 22. A computer programproduct for accessing new content, comprising functions for: receivingrepresentations (51,57,58) of multiple further human perceptual signals(49); and generating a human perceptual signal (59) from therepresentations (51,57,58).